Richmond, VA 23226 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Richmond, VA?
Around 04/10 is the usual last spring frost, about 225 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/31, about 202 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Richmond in Zone 7b (5 to 10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Richmond before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/10 isn't a guarantee
04/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/27 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Richmond compares
At roughly 202 frost-free days, Richmond places 17,074 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within VA, it ranks 577 of 1,178.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Richmond can differ from the 23226 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Richmond's frost date answer different questions.